what car for my friend

I have a volunteer who helps me out at the theater.  He's 65 and (due to a really crappy divorce) he's broke as a joke.  He's currently driving a 1st get Ford Escape with 255k.  I often fix little problems with it, but yesterday the gas tank fell out and took the rusted exhaust with it.  I don't have a lift, nor do I have the time.  He's also not keen on spending any more money on an old pile of junk so he has decided to part it out for the good stuff and scrap the shell.

He's otherwise pretty happy with the configuration - small CUV.  AWD helps in the winters, but he's willing to give that up.  In PA, the winters are far more mild than they used to be and I think he would take either 2wd or AWD.

He's hazy on budget, but I'm guessing $4000-5000 cash.  What CUV/SUV should I start looking for?  It should be reliable but doesn't need to be upscale.  He's happy with A/C and a radio, but he wouldn't appreciate backup cameras or leather or lane departure.  He wouldn't mind a manual, but his husband doesn't do stick (oh, the irony of that sentence).  That is to say... he would rather pay less for a car with more life if it doesn't have all the bells and whistles.  He would rather have crank windows if it means no one else wants it and it makes it cheaper.

I know the easy button is RAV or CRV, but what else might present a good bet?

Are subie's in that price range a realty(still in tact) in that area of the world?

A $3k Honda Element with 130k miles like This one on FB. There are a good amount of them out there like that, and not much to break on them. 

AWD Astro.

He got 250k out of his first Escape.  They are not burdened with the Honda tax, and they are not a bad little pile.  

These gobble up stuff with the back seat down.

Toyota parts availability.

Mazda CX-5. The base model with the 2.0 was offered in a manual trans too. 

I was also going to suggest element or crv.

Nice of you to help him out!

I'll just offer that a backup camera is a nice feature with increasing benefit as drivers age and are less willing/able to turn their heads all around when reversing. (Not to mention that modern vehicles have minimal rear visibility.)

amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) said:

Mazda CX-5. The base model with the 2.0 was offered in a manual trans too. 

CX-5.  My parents and in laws both have and love them.  I made my mother in law drive all the small SUVs and it's the one she liked most.  

Early Toyota Highlander.

I don't think there is a CX-5 within 2X the stated budget. 

I'll 2nd early Toyota highlander. They are tanks. 

Can he get a Hamstermobile (aka Kia Soul) within his budget? Not sure how good they are in the snow, though.

3rd generation 4Runner can be found at that price.    They should run a long long time with basic maintenance..

914Driver said:

These gobble up stuff with the back seat down.

Toyota parts availability.

My ex had one of these.  We transported a full couch in the back (some hanging out).  You are 110% correct.  Plus, bulletproof.  She beat the snot out of it for 200k and the only thing aside from normal maintenance was a broken tailgate latch.  Only reason it's still not on the road is because she crashed it.

I'm going to try to get him to drive one, but he's one of the doubters that it's actually a TARDIS... bigger on the inside.

preach said:

AWD Astro.

That would be perfect, but around here they are either rust piles, have an Astro-nomical pricetag, or both.  I'll keep an eye out for a gem, though.

Caprigrip said:

3rd generation 4Runner can be found at that price.    They should run a long long time with basic maintenance..

I might know where there is one for basically free with a plugged cat.  It might be a winner, or it could be a money pit

These are all great.  Thanks everyone.  Off to FBM

From left field here is my narrow, specific recommendation:

2006 or 2007 ONLY Saturn Vue with 4cyl ONLY which is fwd only for these years

I had a 2003 Saturn 4cyl manual from 140k to 260k.  It was not trouble free but needs were simple.  The Vue got off to a rocky start.  

• 02-05 4cyl (2.2L) for automatic was a CVT.  A really bad CVT known for failure at 65k miles.  Avoid at all cost
• 02-03 6 cyl (3.0L) was the same bad engine that came in the Cadillac Catera.  Avoid at all cost
• 04-07 6cyl (3.5L) is the Honda motor shared with the Odyssey but it also has the failure prone auto trans that the early Odyssey had as well.  I'd avoid that trans 
• 06 & 07 4cyl (2.2L) and a 4 speed auto trans.  These final years represented GM finally getting it right (so naturally they then killed it off.)  

The 2.2L and 4 speed auto is pure GM parts bin stuff.  The engine/trans combo is used in Cobalt, Grand Am, Malibu, HHR, and more.  Take that for all that is good and bad about the GM parts bin. For 02-07 the Vue offered a 2.2L and 5 speed manual that I had.  Again, these were pure "parts bin."  

For a 2.2L with 4 speed auto, the engine is a bit under powered to move the large boxy shape through the air.  The result is slow and really not that great mpg.  Expect 23 combined.  It probably rivals his Escape if it is 4 cyl and certainly beats the Escape if it is 3.0L V6.   The Vue is exceptional as an around town car given it useful boxy shape.  The car is a bit noisy at hyw speeds.  Due to the broke as a joke, I'm assuming he doesn't do a lot of hyw travel/vacationing.  Visibility is exceptional.  Wide doors, low sills and a near perfect ride height makes egress exceptional.  This is the era of Saturn plastic body panels which are great for keeping the car looking rust free but be sure to look underneath.  Hood, roof and liftgate are steel.  

• I can almost guarantee that if you look at one, it will need a rear wheel bearing.  A $25 to $80 part on RockA. 
• If there is any rattle from the front end it will be tie rod links (which seem to be made from paper machete) A $3.95 to $39.50 part on Rock A
• If there is any misfire it will be the coil $40-$80 or the ignition control module $40-$90.  Back in my day I would buy these used in JYs because the 2.2L was so plentiful. 
• Other consumables are parts bin and reasonable price like struts, brakes (f-disk, r-drum).  Even the tires are not enormous and thereby expensive like so many vehicles are now.  

Quickly sourced samples near you or at least a couple hours near: 

'07 w/93k asking $4.6k

'06 w/88k asking $4.5k

Spotters guide of 4cy vs 6 cyl if the ad does not specifically say or show picture of engine:
V6 will have chrome on front bumper looking like air intakes at fog light placement and V6 will have woodgrain trim to dashboard.  
Sample V6 listing

I too like CRVs, Rav4s, Scions and Highlanders.  But, due to their popularity, $4k examples can be rough.  So, the Vue recommendation was an attempt to find a "value" from a dead brand that is overlooked by most shoppers.  

  EDIT:  there was a one year only, '07, Hybrid offered.  Avoid due to rarity of parts knowledge and parts availability. 

I dd a 2004 (1st gen) Highlander. Love it for what it is. Enough power, super reliable, and dare I say sort of even engaging to drive. Previously had a '97 CR-V that was taken out due to structural rust. Also loved that. Maybe I have a thing for the original cute utes? I dunno. But either of these choices would serve your friend quite well and good examples are well within his price range. 

The VUE is actually a pretty decent choice in this case.  I've heard up north they are prone to subframe rust though.  We had one a while back and it was a good all purpose vehicle.  I think the CRV and RAV4 are both better in a number of ways, but not by the amount their prices would suggest.  You'd likely pay more than what John posted above for a CRV with double that mileage.

In reply to ProDarwin :

Similar age and price CRV has 189k miles

Similar age and mileage CRV priced at $7.5k

So I wasn't far off :)

I don't know long term reliability of the Soul that well, but I ended up with one looking for a small value CUV.  It's a step down in size from the VUE, CRV, etc, but once again you can find them for like half the price.  I paid $6k for mine with 100k on it a couple years ago.  Mine is a manual so I can't comment on the auto, but I believe it's a traditional auto and fairly robust.  

BoxheadTim said:

Can he get a Hamstermobile (aka Kia Soul) within his budget? Not sure how good they are in the snow, though.

I was just going to recommend this. They're plentiful and cheap. Unfortunately they also FEEL cheap at that price range. But they are simple to fix and pretty durable little crap boxes. 

No better or worse in the snow than any other fwd open diff crap box.  Toss some snow tires on one and I'm sure it's adequate.  They are 25" tires and 5x114.3 wheels so a very common setup if you want to snag stuff off fb marketplace.